TRIBUTES continued to pour in this week for an athlete considered one of the all-time greats.Grete Waitz died at the age of 57 in her native Norway.Undoubtedly the most dominant international female runner to race on Bermuda’s roads, she will be remembered as someone who loved the Island as much as the Island loved her.In her hey-day at International Race Weekend, she was simply unbeatable.There was never any doubt who would cross the line first among the women’s field. The question remained how many men could she beat.Just about all of them.Any Bermuda male runner who thought they were among the best in the field, quickly found out that they were no match for the Oslo Express.She showed most of them a clean pair of heels.In 1982, she raced home in a blazing 31 minutes, 41 seconds, a record that still stands.To put that in perspective, since that victory 29 years ago there have been probably less than half a dozen local men who have clocked a faster time.Chris Estwanik, by far the top road runner among the current crop of locals, finished last Sunday’s 10K in 31.43 two seconds slower than Waitz’s best.Granted, Estwanik was never pushed. But then neither was Grete. She always had to race against the clock.At its peak, Race Weekend attracted 10K fields of around 800. It became one of the world’s most popular running events, pulling in hundreds from the US and Canada, and many more from Europe.And it earned that reputation because at the height of the road running boom, runners wanted to say they had followed (‘competed against’ wouldn’t be at all accurate) an athletic icon.There were, of course, elite males who would fly in and were among the leading athletes of that era.But it was always Waitz who thrilled the crowds, which in those days came out in their hordes along the route from the National Stadium, down Middle Road to Flatts and back along the North Shore.I was privileged to have interviewed Waitz on many occasions.While one had to admire her astonishing athletic talent, just as striking was her humility and self-effacing nature.Rather than talk about her own performance or her love of the sport, she liked to talk about Bermuda and the local people, many of whom she became close friends with.International Race Weekend, she said, was one of her favourite events and Bermuda her ‘home from home’.It’s for that reason Bermuda Track and Field Association and Race Weekend organisers should now consider honouring her in a fashion that would reflect her huge contribution to not only the event but also to the Island.It would be appropriate if, at next year’s festival and in years to come, a trophy be awarded in her honour.In memory of her affection for Bermuda and her outstanding performances, the ‘Grete Waitz’ trophy could be handed to the first female across the 10K finish line.Those receiving that award would no doubt place it among others on top of the shelf, no matter what their past achievements.Let’s not forget, Waitz broke the world record in her first ever marathon in New York.She had already set two world records in the 3,000 metres.Quite simply, she took women’s athletics to a new level. She encouraged thousands of female runners to take on the longer distances, races that previously they hadn’t considered.She was inspirational to the extent that the 1980s road running events around the world were begging her to enter.From that point of view, Bermuda was extremely fortunate.She pencilled in Race Weekend long before committing to other races.She enjoyed training here as much as she did racing. And she was thankful for the warm welcome she always received.The best tribute Bermuda could now pay is to ensure that she won’t be forgotten.